---
title: 'Strategic Projects Associate, Safety at Handshake'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-projects-associate-safety-handshake-seattle-naa51v6qj5hh'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-23'
---

# Strategic Projects Associate, Safety at Handshake

- **Company:** [Handshake](https://feeny.ai/companies/handshake)
- **Location:** Seattle, WA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-09-16
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-23
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/handshake/ab520a1e-0afc-42c8-854d-781917a30427

## Job description

## About Handshake

Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions. In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We’ve grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month. Why join Handshake now:

- Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel
- Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
- Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders
- Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

## About Handshake AI

Human data is the core infrastructure to AI advancement. Frontier AI labs currently improve model capabilities with various data-intensive post-training techniques. We believe that data spend for AI training will increase by 3-5x in the next few years and continue for much longer as models take on new domains. Handshake AI supports all of the frontier AI labs, working on their most complex data at the largest scale.

## The Role

As a Safety Strategic Projects Associate (SPA), you will own the execution of large-scale human data programs that directly power frontier AI model training and evaluation. You will design, build, and execute operational workflows supporting model policy annotation and develop evaluations across a range of policy areas. You will use model policy annotation to help inform model training, evaluation, and enforcement decisions across leading AI systems. Working hands-on with leading AI labs and technology companies, you will make real-time decisions that affect revenue, margins, delivery quality, and long-term customer relationships. This is a high-ownership, outcomes-driven role for operators who thrive in ambiguity, move fast with incomplete information, and are accountable for results at scale. What you'll do:

- Support the design and iteration of annotation frameworks and labeling workflows that scale while maintaining precision, accuracy, and inter-rater agreement
- Coordinate trusted annotators and contribute to a culture of consistency, care, and sound judgment when handling sensitive content and complex edge cases
- Partner with policy leads to organize and surface insights on policy gaps, classification ambiguities, and nuanced scenarios identified through annotation work
- Build and maintain detailed annotation playbooks, quality resources, and auditor guidance across diverse datasets and regulatory domains
- Analyze annotation data to identify emerging trends, systemic labeling errors, and opportunities to strengthen internal safety policies
- Work with frontier AI labs and internal stakeholders to support project scoping, issue resolution, and delivery of model policy programs

You Have

- A strong academic record as a recent graduate (or someone graduating soon), ideally with internship or light work experience in trust and safety, policy enforcement, regulatory compliance, risk management, management consulting, government, or a related field
- Strong analytical and first-principles problem-solving skills; comfort or aptitude for drawing insights from large datasets (SQL proficiency a plus)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders and customers
- High ownership and a reliable, detail-oriented approach to execution
- Curiosity and an ability to quickly learn technical AI concepts and industry trends

Bonus Points

- STEM background or exposure to technical concepts (e.g., data, software, or AI)
- Experience supporting policy enforcement or content-review workflows across large, distributed workforces
- Familiarity with high-severity policy harms, including violent activities, dangerous organizations or individuals, or sexual activities
- Experience developing evaluations for harmful-content or policy-enforcement use cases

Note: This role involves exposure to sensitive or explicit content (e.g., violent, sexual, or otherwise disturbing material) as part of safety and policy evaluation work.

## We Offer

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life. The below benefits are for full-time US employees. 🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company 💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching 🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching 💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend 📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development 💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office 🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days 🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at [joinhandshake.com/careers](http://joinhandshake.com/careers).

## About Handshake

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting job seekers with internships, full-time roles, freelance gigs, and AI training work through a three-sided marketplace.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series F; total funding $434M across 6 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Garrett Lord (CEO), Ben Christensen, Scott Ringwelski

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Career platform / Job marketplace / AI workforce infrastructure
- **Target customers**: B2C (job seekers, from students to experienced professionals) and B2B (employers including 100% of Fortune 500 and all foundational AI labs; also educational institutions)
- **Mission**: Expand access and improve outcomes for job seekers, helping the workforce stay ahead in the AI economy.

## Products & Services
- **Handshake Core Platform**: A three-sided marketplace connecting 25 million knowledge workers, 1,600+ schools, and 1 million employers. Features dynamic profiles, intelligent job matching, and interactive skill-building.
- **Handshake AI Enterprise**: AI-powered tools for employers and job seekers, including AI-driven matching, safety features, and pay management.
- **AI Trainer Gigs**: Paid, flexible, remote work for individuals to train and evaluate AI models (e.g., AI Evaluation Specialist, up to $40/hr) – no prior AI experience required.
- **Handshake Network**: Community events, career advice, and networking for students, experts, and professionals in AI and other fields.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $434M (6 rounds); annual revenue $56.5M (LinkedIn estimate)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Board includes representatives from General Catalyst, Kleiner Perkins, EQT Ventures, True Ventures, and Niantic. Strategic partners include 100% of the Fortune 500 and foundational AI labs.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount at 5,272 employees (+708.8% YoY per LinkedIn); 1M+ companies on platform; 25M users; expansion into AI trainer gig economy; new roles in HAI (Handshake AI Enterprise) such as Applied AI Engineer, AI Platform Engineer, and Forward Deployed Engineer.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: The only three-sided marketplace linking students, employers, and educational institutions at scale.
- **AI-first positioning**: Deep integration of AI into job matching, skill-building, and new freelance training roles – creating a unique ecosystem for the AI economy.
- **Trusted by elite institutions**: 1,600+ partner schools and every Fortune 500 company provides unparalleled reach into early-career talent.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI economy expansion**: Building the “career network for the AI economy” – expanding beyond college students to all knowledge workers, and adding AI training gigs as a new revenue and engagement stream.
- **Product innovation**: Heavy investment in Handshake AI Enterprise (HAI), including AI matching, safety, and pay infrastructure.
- **Global scaling**: Offices in San Francisco, New York, UK, and Bangalore; operating in 32 countries.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values include “Students first,” “Leave nothing to chance,” “Own the outcome,” “Invent and reinvent,” and “Olympic pace.” Emphasis on ownership, urgency, and constant evolution.
- **Remote/Hybrid policy**: Many roles are based in San Francisco or New York, but some positions (e.g., Trust & Safety Specialist, Support Specialist) are remote in the US. Recent openings show both office and remote options.
- **Benefits**: Health & wellness support, financial support, time off, modern offices with meals, snacks, and social activities. Strong focus on career growth and learning.
- **Career growth**: Rapid headcount growth suggests ample internal mobility; roles range from engineering (ML, AI, data) to customer success, partnerships, and product management.

## Sources
1. [joinhandshake.com/about](https://joinhandshake.com/about/)
2. [joinhandshake.com/careers](https://joinhandshake.com/careers/)
3. [linkedin.com/company/team-handshake](https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-handshake)
4. [joinhandshake.com](https://joinhandshake.com/)

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